A simple and delicious Chow Mein Recipe! Make it in under 30 minutes for a perfect quick and easy weeknight meal!
We love this super quick and mouthwatering Chow Mein Recipe! Actually, when I was in college my ‘go to’ quick meal always seemed to be chow mein. It wasn’t necessarily the healthiest option, but it always hit the spot and was so good!
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I actually tried making this dish at home. I have no idea why it took me so long because it’s incredibly simple and so good! I really like that I’m able to control the ingredients and amounts used for our easy chow mein recipe. This recipe also only takes 20 minutes to make, so it’s perfect to make on a busy weeknight!
How to Make Chow Mein
- In a mixing bowl whisk soy sauce and cornstarch together until fully combined. This helps to ensure that there are no cornstarch clumps in the sauce.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.
- Soak noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and set aside. I used fresh chow mein noodles I bought at the Asian market, but if you can only find dry noodles make sure to read the package instructions as the soak times may vary.
- Place a large skillet or wok over high heat.
- Add oil to the hot skillet. Add onion, carrot, cabbage, and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon. Typically the noodles are added first, then any vegetables, but since we’re going slightly heavier with vegetables for our recipe, I like to add them first so they wilt and caramelize a bit.
- Add drained noodles and toss together. Sauté for 2 minutes. As long as you have a large skillet or wok with a good surface area that is sitting over high heat, your noodles should still be able to crisp up just fine.
- Pour sauce over vegetables and noodles and toss together until evenly coated and absorbed, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, top with green onions and serve.
Chow Mein Sauce
Cooking Chow Mein
What’s the difference between Chow Mein and Lo Mein Noodles?
The noodles themselves are actually the same, Chinese style wheat and egg noodles. The difference between chow mein and low mein are in the cooking and serving technique. Chow mein is typically parboiled then pan-fried until crisp with minimal vegetables and sauce, while lo mein dishes usually consist of fully boiled noodles that are tossed together with more vegetables and are usually sitting in a sauce at the end.
Chow mein noodles are also typically pan-fried first before the vegetables (and protein, if using) are added. Our version is slightly different and starts with the vegetables. We do this because our version uses more vegetables than the standard chow mein dish and we want the vegetables to wilt down caramelize around the edges.
FAQs
Chow mein translates to ‘stir-fried noodles’.
Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Yes! It can be frozen, in an airtight container or resealable freezer bag, for up to 3 months.
Place a pan over medium-high heat and add a small amount of oil. Once pan is hot, add noodles and cook until heated through. If noodles are frozen, place container in the refrigerator and thaw overnight before cooking in pan.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- It’s important that the skillet or wok is very hot to ensure the noodles and vegetables don’t steam, which would create a gummy and soggy dish.
- It’s important that the noodles are soaked until just al dente to ensure they crisp up when being pan fried.
Serving Suggestions
While a variety of things can be served with Chow Mein, some of our favorites are:
This easy chow mein recipe is seriously so quick and crazy delicious! Everyone needs to run and make this asap, we promise you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
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Chow Mein Recipe
A simple and delicious Chow Mein Recipe! Make it in under 30 minutes for a perfect quick and easy weeknight meal!
Servings:
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
stir-fry
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Place a large skillet or wok over high heat.
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Add oil to the hot skillet. Add onion, carrot, cabbage, and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon.
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Add drained noodles and toss together. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, or until noodles begin to crisp around the edges.
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Pour sauce over vegetables and noodles and toss together until evenly coated and fully absorbed, about 2 minutes.
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Remove from heat, top with green onions and serve.
NOTES
How should leftovers be stored and for how long? Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze leftovers? Yes! Chow mein can be frozen, in an airtight container or resealable freezer bag, for up to 3 months.
What is the best way to reheat chow mein? Place a pan over medium-high heat and add a small amount of oil. Once pan is hot, add noodles and cook until heated through. If noodles are frozen, place container in the refrigerator and thaw overnight before cooking in pan.
Tips
- It’s important that the skillet or wok is very hot to ensure the noodles and vegetables don’t steam, which would create a gummy and soggy dish.
- It’s important that the noodles are soaked until just al dente to ensure they crisp up when being pan fried.
Calories: 478kcal Carbohydrates: 73g Protein: 14g Fat: 15g Saturated Fat: 10g Sodium: 1580mg Potassium: 333mg Fiber: 8g Sugar: 11g Vitamin A: 6948IU Vitamin C: 34mg Calcium: 61mg Iron: 3mg
CUISINE: Chinese
KEYWORD: asian noodles, chow mein, stir-fry
COURSE: dinner, lunch
